Broody going downhill in heat

[Mahtowagal]

Hi- so I have a white Cochin ( I think she’s 6 or 8 can’t recall exactly when we got them as chicks) and she’s been broody for about 2 weeks now. This morning her crown was not red anymore- face looked very speckled and eyes were closed. We have had a few days in the 90s ( Minnesota) and this heat is continuing for 3 more days. Anyways- I got her out of her nest box and put her out by the others outside the coop. She slowly opened her eyes and eventually started eating some scratch. I added some of their regular 17% layer feed and some black oil seeds to it. She pecked and ate with the others for a half an hour or so. Her redness returned to her crown and she was looking much (!) better. Now I see she’s back in the box ( no eggs). So I’m wondering how to keep her alive over the next extremely hot summer when she’s broody and just over the next 3 days. Ugh. Any tips?? We have a ventilation fan set up in the eave over the door but it’s kinda noisy and doesn’t seem to make much difference with heat imo.

 

[Mahtowagal]

I just checked on her and she looks normal again. Whew! I emptied out her nest box- put in fresh hay and turned the fan on. I also put her out again for awhile and let the hose run in the dirt by her so she pecked a bit in the water. Is this a common problem with broodies in the heat?

 

[cassie]

If she is not sitting on any eggs and you want to break her up, put her in a wire cage with no bedding. That is how I broke up mine. Cochins are pretty determined though. I once had one try to hatch a box of iris bulbs.

 

[Malkaris]

If she is not sitting on any eggs and you want to break her up, put her in a wire cage with no bedding. That is how I broke up mine. Cochins are pretty determined though. I once had one try to hatch a box of iris bulbs.

Yes, two of mine were determined to hatch golf balls until I took them away. I've been battling those two with broodiness for quite a bit one after the other and then back again.

 

[Chicalina]

When it's hot here I run the sprinkler next to the run for an hour in the middle part of the day. It cools the air around the run and coop. Also put shallow bowls of water down (oven trays are perfect) so the chickens can paddle their feet. I have one hen in particular who always cools herself down by standing in water.

If you don't want her to be broody, chuck her off the nest repeatedly and shut off the nest boxes or exclude her from the coop for a few days. Some people put frozen soda bottles filled with water in the nests to deter broodiness. I haven't tried that but it sounds like a good idea.

 

[TropicalBabies]

If she is not sitting on eggs I would put her in a cage, take out the bottom and run water on her feet to cool her... give her some vitamins and I would not let her out till she was over her broody spell. I'd also check her body for bugs and when was the last time you did a fecal on her? Sounds like there could be more than heat going on. But either way... no eggs, no broody, put nutrients in along with cool her jets. She is way too old for that hot box.

K. I had a hen collect empty snail shells and sit. She was so heart breaking to break but being broody is really hard on these sweet little girls. Plus I did not want any baby snails (joke).

 

[Malkaris]

Some people put frozen soda bottles filled with water in the nests to deter broodiness. I haven't tried that but it sounds like a good idea.

I've heard of that but... then don't you have cold, sweating bottles in nest boxes other birds want to use?
I find the cage with something to keep them from falling through but let air flow around the floor helps, and also getting their bellies a bit wet in lukewarm water (don't chill them) so they're cooled and also distracted grooming. One of them once just hung out in the bucket of water for a time (her feet reached the bottom and she could get out fine).